


Steele A Christmas Carol

by NorahBolt56



Category: Remington Steele (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:09:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21929506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorahBolt56/pseuds/NorahBolt56
Relationships: Laura Holt/Remington Steele
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Steele A Christmas Carol

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to come to Frances and Donald’s with me for Christmas?” Laura asked Remington as she went to head out of the office on Christmas Eve. Remington smiled as he shook his head. “Thankyou again for the offer Laura but no,” he politely declined. “I’m afraid I’m not in much of a festive mood,” he admitted a little ruefully. 

Laura nodded understandingly, although she was a little disappointed, as she lay a hand on his arm. “Well if you change your mind you know where to find me,” she said as she kissed him. “Under the mistletoe?” he asked with a hopeful, lopsided grin. “Well you never know your luck in the big city,” Laura replied with a dimpled grin of her own then added, “Seriously though, are you going to be okay by yourself? I hate the thought of you being by yourself at Christmas.”

“Well it won’t be the first time Laura,” Remington replied drolly. “I’ve spent more Christmases alone than I can remember and I’m fine with it really – let’s call it my Christmas tradition eh? Now go on get out of here and have a good time okay,” he urged her as he walked her to the door.

“Okay, okay – I’ll call you tomorrow alright? Merry Christmas Mr Steele,” Laura stated as she gave him a hug. “Merry Christmas Miss Holt,” Remington replied as he returned the hug and bid her farewell.

Once she’d left he sat down in his office for a moment or two with a sigh to collect his thoughts. The agency office was finally silent after their obligatory Christmas Eve party had wound down, which thankfully was much less eventful than the previous year’s when they’d been held hostage by a bunch of gun toting Santas. Mildred had left an hour or so before to head to her nephew Bernard’s for Christmas and now Laura had left he was alone, just how he liked it at Christmas, or so he had told himself.

Laura had hit the nail on the head last Christmas he recalled when she said to him “Christmas doesn’t hold any special memories for you does it?”. The only memories he really had of Christmas were of being alone – oh he’d spent a couple with Daniel but it had only been the two of them, hardly a huge gathering of friends and family that most people identified with at Christmas time. And truth be told even though part of him had been tempted to accept Laura’s invitation another part of him was scared to - never having had a proper Christmas, surrounded by the warmth and love of friends and family, he wasn’t sure how he’d react to it all.

So as was his way he chose to stay away rather than confront it – it was easier that way for all concerned, he’d tried to convince himself. Deciding he better head home to the Rossmore he then closed up the office and caught the elevator down to the parking garage, hopped in the Auburn and drove home. 

Once in his apartment he took off his jacket and tie and undid a few buttons of his shirt. He whipped himself up a quick dinner then flopped down on the lounge with a glass of wine and turned on the tv, searching for something to distract him from thoughts of Laura and Christmas cheer. Christmas time always brought on a bout of melancholy in him but it seemed to be even more so this year – he presumed losing his old friend Freddy Lazenby a couple of months ago may have had something to do with it. And the infernal warmth of Los Angeles didn’t help much he groused to himself as he finally settled on ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (James Stewart, Donna Reed, RKO Pictures, 1946).  
As he started watching the movie he felt his eyes getting heavier..

The next thing he knew he found himself shivering on a snow covered street, and from what he could tell it looked like Dublin. “What the bloody hell..?” he muttered under his breath, wondering what on earth was going on. “Hiya Harry,” he suddenly heard Freddy’s voice behind him. He whirled round in shock to find his old friend standing there, looking very much alive. “Freddy? Is that you?? But you..you’re ..” he muttered, trying to make sense of it all.

“Dead I think is the word you’re looking for mate,” Freddy interjected with a rueful grin as Remington/Harry nodded slowly, wondering if he was going mad. As if reading his mind Freddy clapped him on the shoulder and said, “No you’re not crazy mate - I’ve been sent to give you a message.”

“Message? What message?” Remington asked. Freddy just smiled at him and pointed down the street saying, “Watch and see.”

Remington peered down the snow covered street and saw it led to a small park. As he watched he saw a young boy and his father appear, laughing as they walked hand in hand, the boy carrying a shiny new sled. Remington then recognized the scene before him as one of his ‘Christmas pasts’ – the one he’d described to Laura when they were being held hostage on Christmas Eve the year before. As if on cue, another boy appeared from a laneway near the park, hiding in the shadows while he watched the first boy playing with his father. The second boy appeared to be about ten or eleven but tall for his age. A lock of his jet black hair fell across his forehead and his blue eyes blazed with emotion as he watched the scene before him. He had started following the other boy and his father with his eye on the sled, planning to nick it and pawn it for a couple of quid so he could pay for a place to kip that night. But then as he watched them he started to forget about the sled – he just wanted to see; wanted to see what a real family and what a real Christmas looked like.

Remington felt a pain in his heart as he watched his younger self - remembering the thread bare clothes he had been wearing, shivering in the cold and trying to keep the snow out of the holes in his shoes. He could feel the cold chilling him to the bone as it had done that day as well as the pain of an empty stomach. But even that didn’t compare to the emotional pain that young boy was in.

As he watched his younger self Remington wanted to tell him not to give up, that his life would get better – it wouldn’t always be this hard, but he couldn’t find his voice. Instead he could only watch on helplessly as the scene played out before him – his younger self following the other boy and his father to their home, hiding as they went in the front door. Then checking the coast was clear he hung over the front railing of the house and peered in the front window, surveying the happy but modest scene in front of him with a mixture of emotions. More than anything he wanted to be like that little boy with the sled – with a father to play with him and guide him, a mother to hug him and make sure he never went hungry, family and friends to care for him, give him gifts and make him feel loved. 

And then he felt a wave of anger wash over him at the unfairness of it all - why couldn’t he have what that boy had, why couldn’t he enjoy the warmth and joy of Christmas, why couldn’t he have a proper home and family, or a name to call his own – why couldn’t he be loved? With those thoughts in mind he picked up a nearby rock and angrily threw it through the front window of the house, shattering the peaceful, happy scene, if only for a moment. The he ran like hell, feeling both upset and afraid of being caught but also feeling ashamed of his actions. Despite all he’d been through at such a young age, Remington’s younger self still had a good heart which his older self had managed to keep.

Remington went to follow the younger him but the scene before him suddenly changed again. “Freddy?” he called for his friend, wondering where he was now. He was outside of a suburban house which seemed familiar. His old friend appeared next to him again. “Go on mate – take a look in the window,” Freddy urged him and as Remington did so he realised it was Laura’s sister and brother-in-law’s house.

He peered in the window and saw Frances and Donald and their three children, laughing and decorating the tree and Abigail watching, directing them where best to put the ornaments on the tree. Then off to the side he saw Laura, holding a cup of eggnog and although she was smiling, the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.. it was like she was missing something..or someone he realised. He then noticed she was wearing the same clothes she had been in at the office that day and with a start he realised he was witnessing the present. 

“Looks like she’s missing someone hey mate?” Freddy said in his ear as Remington nodded in agreement, suddenly feeling a bit guilty that he turned down her invitation to spend Christmas with her and her family. He was about to head inside to apologise to her when the scene changed yet again.

Now he was inside another house – he didn’t recognize it but it felt familiar, it felt like..home. He looked around the room he found himself in – it was a living room, decorated beautifully for Christmas with a large tree and four stockings hung over the fireplace. He was just about to go and have a closer look at the names on the stockings to see who they belonged to so he could try and figure out where he was now, when two children, a girl and a boy, suddenly ran down the stairs into the living room and almost bowled him over as they hugged him, both of them yelling happily, “Daddy!”. 

Remington looked at them in shock - Daddy? Since when did he have children?? Then he looked at them a bit more closely - the girl looked about six, with long chestnut brown hair and bright blue eyes, the same shade as his he noticed. The boy looked to be around four - a lock of dark hair fell over his forehead and his brown eyes twinkled with mischief as he grinned a little lopsided grin at him. 

So if he was their father, who was their mother he wondered? That question was answered when Laura walked into the room – she looked a little older but just as beautiful as ever he thought as she flashed him a dimpled smile. “Good, you’re home Rem – I told the kids we could open one present each once you got home from the office,” she said as Remington stared at her with both shock and happiness as she came up to him and kissed him hello as their children giggled. 

“Laura.. this is our home? These are our children?” he asked, dumbfounded as she looked at him quizzically and laughed, “Of course – Rem what’s got into you?” 

It then dawned on him – he was seeing a future Christmas. A future where he and Laura were married and building a life together with their children - a future where he had a family. “A future you have the choice to make come true my friend,” Freddy’s voice interrupted his thoughts as Remington looked at him, suddenly understanding. “Don’t waste your opportunities like I did mate – I thought Jennifer and I had all the time in the world and in the blink of an eye it was gone because I made the wrong choice. Don’t make the same mistakes I did Harry – you’ve been given the chance to make your dreams into reality so don’t throw it away,” Freddy urged him, but before Remington had a chance to reply he had disappeared.

“Freddy??” Remington called out, waking himself up as he did so. He found himself on his lounge, the final credits of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life ‘ playing on the tv. Remington ran a hand over his face to wake himself up a bit, reflecting on the dream he’d just had which had seemed so real. He then jumped to his feet, realising what he had to do…

Laura was doing her best to put on a happy face, joining her nephew and nieces singing Christmas carols when they heard the doorbell ring.  
“I’ll get it,” Donald announced, wondering who it could be at this hour. “Mr Steele?” he greeted his sister-in-law’s boss when he opened the door to find him standing there. 

“Evening Donald and Merry Christmas. Apologies for my tardiness but I hope I’m not too late to join in the festivities?” Remington greeted him with a hopeful smile. 

“No of course not - come in, come in,” Donald replied warmly as he showed him inside. 

Remington followed him into the living room as Frances and Abigail and the children all greeted him fondly. He greeted them just as fondly but his eyes were on Laura as she came up to him, a surprised but delighted expression on her face. 

“What made you change your mind?” she asked as he greeted her with a kiss. “Let’s just say I had a visit from an old friend who made me realise a few things – like the importance of not wasting time and making the most of moments like this,” he replied with a twinkle in his blue eyes. “I want to let go of my past Laura and focus on the here and now so I can be assured of my future,” he continued as he took Laura into his arms.

“And what does that future hold Mr Steele?” Laura asked with a curious smile. “Many more happy Christmases like this Miss Holt – many more indeed,” Remington replied with a lopsided grin as he held her close to his heart, finally feeling the love, joy and hope of Christmas that he had longed for all his life..


End file.
